Comparison of early and delayed cholecystectomy for biliary pancreatitis: A meta-analysis

Abstract

BackgroundBiliary stones are the most common etiology of acute pancreatitis Cholecystectomy has been accepted as a popular treatment for acute biliary pancreatitis (ABP) to reduce the risk of recurrent complications. However, the precise time of intervention still remains controversial. ObjectiveThe aim of this meta-analysis was to compare early and delayed cholecystectomy and determine the most precise timing of cholecystectomy following gallstone pancreatitis. MethodSearch the publications on comparison the efficacy of early cholecystectomy comparison with delayed cholecystectomy in treatment outcomes of ABP to October, 2018. After rigorous reviewing on quality, the data was extracted from eligible trials. All trials analyzed the summary hazard ratios (HRs) of the endpoints of interest, including survival data and individual postoperative complications. ResultsA total of 9 trials were met our inclusion criteria. The pooled results indicate that postoperative complications、readmission rate、conversion to an open procedure and cholecystectomy-related morbidity/mortality did not have statistical significance (P > 0.05) between the early and delayed cholecystectomy. While, the length of hospital stay was shorter for the early cholecystectomy group than the delayed group in all included studies. ConclusionsAlthough the efficacy of delayed intervention in terms of inflammation reduction is definite, their adverse events are often major limitations. In the present study, an early cholecystectomy may result in a significantly shortened hospital stays without increased complications or mortality.